


Clarity

by Stariceling



Category: Toriko (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, Partnership, Past Generation, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-31
Updated: 2011-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-06 04:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ingredient that brought an end to a world war first brought answers to the man who discovered it. Acacia and Frohze story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clarity

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure I can explain the backstory behind this one. I was having a discussion with my friend RK about some of the hints being dropped about what the ingredient 'God' might actually be, and some of them are kind of... well... Anyway, I had to write this.

They say the fastest way into someone's heart is through their stomach, or at least that's what they will say as the budding gourmet age blooms into its full potential, but there is little mention that the stomach supports more than that. More than nutrients to fuel the body or tastes that tug at the heartstrings, the best food must also support the mind.

Acacia was never aware of that, until he first tasted the food the world came to call "God." He was struck by a clarity of mind he had never known in his life. The endless cares of the world, that he had never once realized he was carrying with him, seemed to lift away from him and become nothing.

The food that brought a quiet end to that seemingly unstoppable war was the very same food that prompted a mysterious recluse of a hunter–one who had disappeared years ago into the gourmet world–to deliver it. Acacia had always known that the joy of delicious food was something to be shared, yet never realized there might be a means to share this truth with the rest of the world.

Yet even with his mind feeling sharp and clear, and embarking on a mission that offered him endless miles of travel in which to think, there was a little unfulfilled notion that never stopped picking at him.

He hadn't asked Frohze to be his partner, not even when the brilliant chef had first prepared "God" for him to taste.

Not when he had found that between Frohze's kitchen and storerooms and workshop he had better build some sort of addition to the house or there would be nowhere to sleep. And then he had put the thought aside and added on to the kitchen first because that was more important.

Not when he had realized he enjoyed Frohze's company more for his unrelenting perfectionist attitude and sharp tongue. Their arguments were familiar, comfortable. 'You've bruised it! What do you expect me to do with it now?' 'You've never prepared it before, how do you know that doesn't make it better?'

Certainly not when the chef had first appeared before him, wanting the chance to sharpen his skills and prepare more than the scanty ingredients available in a world more concerned with death than food.

Not ever.

Acacia finally had time to think about that as he brought "God" to the leaders of the world, traveling through countless roadblocks and battlefields as he went, only finding peace as he finally made his way back through the slowly quieting human world.

Or perhaps more accurately, only finding peace when he finally reached the place he had started from. The food waiting for him there wasn't "God," but all ingredients that could be gathered from the surrounding area. It was a familiar meal that tasted like home.

Or, perhaps if he was honest with himself, not even then was he at peace. Not completely.

Acacia found himself standing in the doorway of Frohze's workshop that night. The familiar sound of Frohze sharpening his favorite knife echoed in the air, not a vulgar scrape of metal but a high, pure ringing that settled in Acacia's ears to stay.

"Frohze," he finally said, over the soft ringing that seemed to go on even when that knife lay still, without Frohze's skilled hands making it sing out its perfect sharpness. "I never want to go out hunting ingredients without you again."

Frohze squeezes his eyes half-closed when he smiles, like a smug cat. He always does.

"I know."


End file.
